Sodexo Releases Innovative Prepaid Incentive Card Powered by eCommLink

Esteem Pass™ is Unique Electronically Processed Filtered Merchant Gift Card

September 9, 2008

LAS VEGAS, NV — eCommLink, Inc, a leading provider of secure, innovative prepaid debit programs, and Sodexo, a leading foodservice and facilities management company and issuer of prepaid service vouchers and cards announced today the release of the Esteem Pass™. Esteem Pass is a filtered merchant prepaid debit card program and a powerful addition to the gift card market.

Incentive programs that motivate and reward employees are a significant part of any human resources program and a key contributor to performance. Gift cards are fast becoming the solution of choice. However, it can be challenging for employers like Sodexo and the clients they work with to create and manage incentive programs because of their large and geographically dispersed workforce.

"We wanted to create a program that would work well for all employees, regardless of location, but that would stand out in their minds and provide a memorable shopping experience. Too often, open loop gift cards are spent on necessities like gas or groceries," stated Vincent Hillenmeyer, President, Sodexo Pass USA. "eCommLink’s filtered merchant gift card program provided the perfect balance of freedom and control."

As a filtered merchant prepaid debit card, the Esteem Pass allows Sodexo to specify the exact merchants and even locations that can accept the Esteem Pass. eCommLink’s flexible platform enables Sodexo to select any number of merchants greater than one and less than ubiquitous. For Esteem Pass, Sodexo partners with 25 nationally recognized merchants, including Macy’s, Home Depot®, Borders, Gap, Inc. and Marriott®, representing more than 20,000 locations. What separates a filtered merchant gift card program from a closed loop program is the fact that it is branded as a Discover® Network card. As long as the selected merchant accepts a Discover Network card, they can be part of the Esteem Pass network – no specific POS system or processor required.

“Filtered merchant gift cards are really a win-win-win situation. Employees have the freedom to redeem the card from the stores they love, employers provide a memorable incentive, and merchants enjoy a powerful marketing tool that pushes business to their store without requiring a change to their payment infrastructure," stated T. Jack Williams, CEO, eCommLink.

Sodexo is selling reward and recognition solutions and products to their existing client base and to companies throughout the U.S., utilizing the Esteem Pass as an internal incentive program. After the first few months of the program, there are already over 20,000 Esteem Pass cards in circulation.

eCommLink is licensed by AEIS to offer these capabilities.

About eCommLink, Inc.

eCommLink, Inc. (www.ecommlink.com) enables program managers and financial institutions to maximize revenue from their prepaid debit programs. The Company’s flexible prepaid processing platform, innovative features and industry experience allows clients to create customized prepaid programs for their specific markets while ensuring quality, security and time to market. eCommLink supports the full array of prepaid debit programs, including general spend, payroll, teen, gift, travel, government and loyalty cards.

About Sodexo

Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com) is a leading integrated food and facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with $7.3 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. Sodexo, Inc. serves more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, government and remote sites. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., is a member of Sodexo Group, and funds the Sodexo Foundation (www.helpstophunger.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $9.2 million in grants to fight hunger in America.

About Sodexo Pass

Sodexo Pass, a business division, is a leader in the prepaid industry, offering meal and food vouchers, childcare vouchers, prepaid gift cards and other gift programs in 30 countries, and is the No. 2 worldwide provider of Service Vouchers and Cards.